Safety Head Bur

Abstract

A safety head bur with a working end with cutting and/or grinding head, a shaft, and a transition zone, which safety head bur provides enhanced safety when used. The cutting and/or grinding head is adapted to cut and/or grind, and has a rearmost diameter. A shaft is attached to the working end. A transition zone extends rearwardly from the rearmost diameter of the working end to a smaller diameter where the transition zone meets the shaft.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A safety head bur, comprising:
 a working end which has a cutting and/or grinding head at a front thereof;   a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; and   a smooth transition zone having a wider diameter at a front that extends from the working end and narrows down to a smaller diameter at a rear where the transition zone joins to the distal end of the shaft.   
     
     
         2 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the transition zone is frustum-shaped. 
     
     
         3 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the transition zone transitions convexly from its front to its rear. 
     
     
         4 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting and/or grinding head is formed from at least one of the materials selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium nitrate carbide, tungsten carbide, diamond, ceramics, plastic, and polymers. 
     
     
         5 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting and/or grinding head is one of generally spherical or conical in shape. 
     
     
         6 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft is made from material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium, ceramics, plastic, carbide, and polymers. 
     
     
         7 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting and/or grinding head of the working end is made of a first material and is attached along a weld or braise line to a cutting and grinding rear portion made of a second material, wherein the second material is the same material as the shaft, and wherein the cutting and grinding rear portion lies behind the weld or braise line and extends to the front of the transition zone. 
     
     
         8 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the transition zone is an extension of the shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein the working end comprises the cutting and/or grinding head at a front thereof made of a first material, and a cutting and/or grinding rear portion made of a second material, which second material is the same material as the shaft, and wherein the cutting and/or grinding head is joined to the cutting and grinding rear portion by welding or braising. 
     
     
         10 . The safety head bur of  claim 9 , wherein the cutting and grinding rear portion comprises the transition zone. 
     
     
         11 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein flutes are formed on the working end. 
     
     
         12 . The safety head bur of  claim 11 , wherein the flutes die off in the working end. 
     
     
         13 . The safety head bur of  claim 11 , wherein flutes partially extend onto the transition zone and die off in the transition zone. 
     
     
         14 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , wherein at an end opposite of the cutting and/or grinding head the shaft has a drive section, which drive section has a larger diameter than a diameter of a neck portion of the shaft attached to the cutting and/or grinding head. 
     
     
         15 . The safety head bur of  claim 14 , wherein the diameter of the drive section increases from the smaller diameter of the neck portion of the shaft to the larger diameter of the drive section in a step up area. 
     
     
         16 . The safety head bur of  claim 15 , wherein a shelf is located where the shaft transitions to the drive section, which shelf provides a sharp transition in diameter between the shaft and the drive section. 
     
     
         17 . The safety head bur of  claim 14 , wherein the neck portion has a narrower diameter at a distal neck section attached to the working end and a wider diameter at a proximal neck section. 
     
     
         18 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one visually identifiable stripe located on the shaft set a predetermined distance from the forward tip of the working end. 
     
     
         19 . The safety head bur of  claim 1 , further comprising color coding to uniquely identify each safety head bur. 
     
     
         20 . A safety head bur, comprising:
 a working end having cutting flutes formed thereon;   a shaft have a proximal end and a distal end; and   a frustum-shaped smooth transition zone having a wider diameter at a front that extends from the working end and narrows down to a smaller diameter at a rear where the transition zone joins to the distal end of the shaft.   
     
     
         21 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein the transition zone transitions convexly from a rearmost diameter of the working end to the smaller diameter where the transition zone meets the shaft. 
     
     
         22 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein the working end is formed from at least one of the materials selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium nitrate carbide, tungsten carbide, diamond, ceramics, plastic, and polymers. 
     
     
         23 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein the working end is one of generally spherical or conical in shape. 
     
     
         24 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein the shaft is made from material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium, ceramics, plastic, carbide, and polymers. 
     
     
         25 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein the working end comprises a cutting and/or grinding head made of a first harder material that is attached along a weld or braise line to a cutting and/or grinding rear portion made of a second softer material, the second softer material being the same material of the shaft. 
     
     
         26 . The safety head bur of  claim 25 , wherein the cutting and/or grinding rear portion comprises the transition zone. 
     
     
         27 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , wherein at the distal end of the shaft there is a drive section, which drive section has a larger diameter than a diameter of the shaft, wherein the diameter of the drive section increases from the smaller diameter of the shaft to the larger diameter of the drive section in a step up area. 
     
     
         28 . The safety head bur of  claim 27 , wherein a shelf is located where the shaft transitions to the drive section, which shelf provides a sharp transition in diameter between the shaft and the drive section. 
     
     
         29 . The safety head bur of  claim 27 , where the shaft further comprises a neck portion at the distal end of the shaft, which neck portion which has a smaller diameter distal end and a wider diameter proximal end. 
     
     
         30 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , further comprising at least one visually identifiable stripe located on the shaft set a predetermined distance from a tip of the working end. 
     
     
         31 . The safety head bur of  claim 20 , further comprising color coding to uniquely identify each safety head bur. 
     
     
         32 . A safety head bur, comprising:
 a working end having a cutting head with flutes formed thereon, the cutting head having a rearmost diameter, the cutting head being formed from at least one of the materials selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium nitrate carbide, tungsten carbide, diamond, ceramics, plastic, and polymers;   a shaft to which the cutting a head is attached, the shaft being made from material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium, ceramics, plastic, carbide, and polymer; and   a frustum-shaped transition zone that extends rearwardly from the rearmost diameter of the cutting head to a smaller diameter where the transition zone meets the shaft.   
     
     
         33 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , wherein the cutting head of the working end is made of a first harder material and is attached along a weld or braise line to a cutting rear portion made of a second softer material, wherein the second material is the same material as the shaft, and wherein the cutting rear portion lies behind the weld or braise line and extends to the front of the transition zone. 
     
     
         34 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , wherein the cutting head of the working end is made of a first harder material and is attached along a weld or braise line to a cutting rear portion made of a second softer material, wherein the second material is the same material as the shaft, and wherein the cutting rear portion lies behind the weld or braise line and comprises the transition zone. 
     
     
         35 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , wherein the flutes die off in the working end. 
     
     
         36 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , wherein flutes partially extend onto the transition zone and die off in the transition zone. 
     
     
         37 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , further comprising color banding to identify each safety head bur. 
     
     
         38 . The safety head bur of  claim 32 , wherein the shaft comprises a neck section with a narrower diameter distal neck section attached to the working end and a wider diameter proximal neck section.